Butler Blue II is the official mascot of Butler University. Born 3/27/2004, this 60 lb. English Bulldog is enjoying his 6th year as mascot of the Indy-based, 4,000 student, liberal arts institution. His blog is a look into his world as well as an account of his adventures as retold by his parents, Michael and Tiffany Kaltenmark. While his blog wasn't created until Jan. 2008, Blue has actually been on the job since May 2004, thus Blue will be looking back as well as looking ahead. Enjoy the read!

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Sorry for my long delay in posting, but I’ve been a busy bulldog over the past couple of weeks. Sure, I’ve kept my nose to the ground with the enduring search for the missing Butler Bulldog mascot costumes (more on that later), but I’ve also been helping my dad move our office.

Yep, that’s right, I’ve moved offices at Butler, but this actually isn’t my first move. We started in Jordan Hall office 11 and not too long after, we took over office 13 where we spent the majority of the last four years. But after a six year stint in the Office of Annual Giving, my pops is changing roles in the development office and that has us moving down the hall to office 16. I figure I’ll just ride his coattails wherever they take me.

The move sort of had me a little nervous and on edge at first, but once I got used to my food, water, cage, toys and dad being in one spot, I became a little more used to the new setup. Although I still get a little confused as to where I should hangout from time to time. I miss my old pals down the hall in annual giving from time to time.

The good news is that we are still in the basement of Jordan Hall so it’s all familiar surroundings. And even though we have smaller digs, we did get a corner office…even if it is in the corner of a basement. And yes, it’s a basement. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s a “garden level.” That’s such a joke.

It’s below ground level, it smells like a basement, there’s moisture like a basement and there’s those lovely insects and bugs that are often found in a basement. Therefore, it is a basement…and it even has a lovely 1980s pink décor with worn grey carpet that might be older than my father. Now you know why the development staff ventures OUT to see donors.

Anyway, after my dad gets all of his pictures up on the walls and it’s finally all put together, I’ll have him post some pictures of our new office. Until then, you can always tune in to Blue2TV and watch my live office cam. Whether or not I’m in view of the webcam is hit and miss, but if you log on at the right time, you just might see me. Click here during regular office hours to have a look: http://go.butler.edu/lifeatbutler/?pg=4724

Changing bones back to the missing mascot story…I know that I said there would be a sequel to the movie that I originally starred in, but I am not really sure what happened to that second film. We did the shoot, but the project didn’t make it out of production. Such is life in Hollywood, I guess.

There have been some developments in the case of the missing mascot costumes, but I’m not at liberty to divulge any details just yet. I’ll be sure to share the news once it is official, but right now I’ve got other pressing issues anyway.

My life as a mascot has me doing some interesting things yet this week and weekend. On Friday I’ll be heading over to see our neighbors at the Christian Theological Seminary for their annual “Blessing of the Animals” service. I like to go because we get to be outside and I get to mingle with a bunch of other animals, but other than that I don’t really quite grasp what happens at that thing. My dad seems to get something out of it and he says that it gives me a Holy blessing for another year, so I got that going for me, which is nice.

On Saturday I’ve got a busy day on the books…first I’m set to appear in the annual Circle City Classic parade with the Butler contingent and after that it’s back to campus as the 2-1 Bulldogs host our first Pioneer Football League contest of the season against the dreaded Drake Bulldogs. Of course I’ll be there to lead the team onto the field, but I’m not quite sure about my new friend Blue of the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts are away this weekend so I’m hoping he’ll be in town to lend me a hand again with the mascot duties since our new mascot costumes have yet to arrive.

Thankfully, the weather is looking good for my duties this weekend. A look to the weather forecast shows signs of plenty of “bulldog weather” for me to enjoy in the coming weeks. Fall might just be my favorite season…it’s not too hot and it’s not too cold. It’s just right for us bulldogs.

Speaking of which, the ninth annual Bulldog Beauty Contest seems to be shaping up nicely. We’ve got about 35 bulldogs registered with just three weeks to go, which is more than where we were three weeks out last year when we had our record turnout of more than 60 dogs.

Eagle Pack Pet Foods, Inc. and City Dogs Grocery have been helping round up pries for our participants and I think we’ve got another great event in the works. If the weather cooperates, then the ninth year might be our best year yet!

Well, I think that’s about all I’ve got to chat about at the moment. I’ll make sure my dad doesn’t wait around another two weeks before he posts for me again!

Monday, September 15, 2008

After a busy weekend (which I will get to later) I came back to work refreshed and ready to find those missing Butler Bulldog mascot costumes this week. I was so fired up, that I shredded my red dragon in an attempt to send a message of intimidation to whom ever took these costumes. Here are a couple of pics of the aftermath…

As you can see, I mean business. Substitute the guilty for the red dragon and you get the message that I’m trying to send.

Tomorrow I’ll go from intimidation tactics to more video shooting as I work to make a sequel to my first film from last week, which has over 5,000 hits and counting as of this evening. In this new film I’ll cover the increased reward for the safe return of the mascots as well as follow up on the tips, leads and rumors that have been swirling about campus as to the whereabouts of our beloved costumes. It should be fun and I think you’ll again enjoy the finished product.

Speaking of fun, that’s exactly what I had on Saturday. It all started early in the morning at Hinkle Fieldhouse for the Lugar Run where I did a couple of TV hits on the local CBS affiliate, WISH-TV channel 8. Below are a couple shots from that…

Of course, I am a bulldog, therefore, I do not run, so as I sent the runners and walkers on their way, I got rested up for the OBS Gridiron Brunch and our football season home opener against the Grizzles of Franklin College.

Unfortunately we took it on the chin against Franklin to go 1-1 on the season, so that hurt, but there was some good that came out of the game and that was the Indianapolis Colts’ mascot Blue was there to fill in for our two-legged guy-in-suit bulldog mascot.

You may remember in one of my first blog posts I suggested that this town wasn’t big enough for two “Blues.” I stand corrected. Not only is Indianapolis fit for a pair of “Blues,” but the Butler Bowl can handle it as well.

I was just upset because I came along first and then the Colts created their mascot and gave him the same name. Oh well, it’s all water under the bridge, or as I like to say, water splashed out of the wading pool, at this point.

So my new ally Blue from the Colts came to campus on Saturday to fill in for our missing mascot and lend me a hoof in entertaining the crowd. He also helped me run the team out on the field which was cool. Below is a shot of Blue and I on the sideline.

If that’s not all, Blue and the Colts also ponied-up (pun intended) $1,000 to donate to Riley Hospital for Children should our missing mascot costumes be returned. Classy. Thanks Blue!

After all of that, I took a quick afternoon knap and then headed out to Zionsville, Ind. for a little family gathering with the Kaltenmark side. That pretty much lead to more sleeping (pictured with my mom below).

Then following that, my parents decided to make a late night trek over to visit some friends of my parents where we watched even more college football. I slept some more and enjoyed snacking on a football as you can see below.

All of that made for a very long day so I pretty much slept on Sunday while my parents attended the MotoGP. And that takes me to today where the search for the missing mascots resumed. I also threw up some new videos on BlueTube. Visit www.youtube.com/butlerblue2 to check those out.

There are quite a few videos of a couple new friends (Addison and Xander) that I made last week. I ran into a couple of nine to 10 week old English Bulldog puppies last week, one owned by a Butler student and another owned by Butler alumni. They both are participating in the ninth annual Bulldog Beauty Contest on Oct. 25th.

And speaking of the beauty contest, I’ll conclude with a quick progress report. Again, things seem to be shaping up nicely as we now have 25 dogs registered. Remember, last year we had a record 60 dogs and thanks to my vet, Dr. Kurt Phillips of Woodland Animal Hospital in Carmel, Ind., his staff has sent invitations to 117 bulldog owners who own a total of 254 bulldogs! Dr. Phillips knows bulldogs!

I’m optimistic that with an outreach like that, we can have record turnout again this year. Remember, just email blue2@butler.edu to sign up.

Friday, September 12, 2008

It's been a busy week in the life of Butler Blue II, and it's only getting busier. I love it!

This missing Butler Bulldog mascot costumes caper has kept me hard at work and while we’ve yet to find them, the plot has thickened. For starters, thanks to the Butler faithful, the reward for the safe return of the costumes has been raised from $100 and one of my bones, to $550 and one of my bones. Now we’re getting somewhere.

And sure enough, just as the reward increases then so do the rumors, anonymous tips and unsubstantiated leads as to the whereabouts of these unique suits. I even got the photo below suggesting that our suit may have been picked up by the dog catcher and sent to the pound. Very funny.

Following the example of one of my beloved heroes, McGruff the Crime Dog, I’m hot on the case and sniffing out all possibilities. Should you hear anything, keep me posted at blue2@butler.edu, and better yet, call the authorities! You can reach the Butler University Police Dept. at 317-940-9396. They would be happy to take your call.

I hope to have another video up next week that illustrates my detective work. The massive amount of rain that we are getting today and this weekend isn’t really conducive to shooting film so sorry for the delay.

The media continues to pick-up the story and again, we’ve received national coverage. This time it is the world-wide leader in sports, ESPN. Check out this clip…

Since I am the only mascot that Butler has at the moment, I will be especially busy tomorrow as we host our first home football contest of the season and we welcome the Lugar Run to campus. My day gets started at Hinkle Fieldhouse at 7 a.m. for the Lugar Run as WISH-TV will be on campus to do some live TV hits for that.

Then it’s on to the OBS Gridiron Brunch and pre-game event and then kick-off against Franklin College at 1 p.m. where I will get to run the team out on to the field for battle. A win on Saturday will make the football Bulldogs 2-0!

It’s looking like it might be a little warm, muggy, windy and wet tomorrow, but I don’t care. No matter the conditions, I am ready!

Finally, I’ll sign off with a story that show’s just how in vogue us English Bulldogs are. Not only did we make it back into the top-10 of AKC registered breeds this year, but now we’ve been voted the hottest in Hollywood!

My good friend Jackie, a young Butler alumni who resides in our Nation’s capital, sent me a link to story on E! (watch The Soup on E! w/ Joel McHale, Fridays, 10 p.m. EST…it’s hilarious) that explains just how the English Bulldog has become all the rage amongst celebrities (Adam Sandler, The Kaltenmarks, etc.) and just all around “cool people.”

Specifially, the article states, "Hollywood's dog o' the moment is an unexpected breed...That dog is the English Bulldog." It’s no wonder our bulldog mascot costumes were stolen!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

The audio from my radio appearance yesterday morning on the Smiley Morning Show, WZPL-FM 99.5 is now available. I was on from 7 - 8 a.m. to discuss the case of the missing Butler Bulldog mascot costumes. Well really I let my dad do most of the talking.

In case you are wanting a visual of the stuffed bulldog that I adopted and mutilated while I was in studio (just listen to the audio and you'll hear it referenced quite a bit), here's what it looks like today...

Anyway, today I'm back on campus and drumming up support around the country to find these missing mascot costumes. But, I'm hearing rumors of the costumes actually being somewhere on campus. I won't name names or locations just yet to proctect the innocent, but I may just have to go check it out!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Aother day is in the books, and still no missing Butler Bulldog mascot costumes have surfaced. I can't say that it isn't for lack of effort on my part that these costumes have yet to be found. From viral internet campaigns to morning radio shows, I did my fair share of hitting the beat today.

This morning my dad and I did an hour-long stand on the Smiley Morning Show, WZPL-FM, 99.5. Milk Bones to Dave Smiley (pictured), KJ (pictured) and Weedman for having us on the show. It was a great segment that included an investigative report by Smiley, heavey breathing and barking from me, commentary and the facts from my father, and a call-in phone interview with Marion County Prosecuter, Carl Brizzi.

I expect to have a link to the audio from the radio interview in the near future and once I have that, I'll be sure to post it here for all to listen.

Then while I was doing my radio gig, my good buddy Brad Ward in the Office of Admission was simultaneously uploading a video he shot and edited of me looking around campus for the mascot costumes. You can scroll down to my previous post from today to watch that or visit Blue2Tube at www.youtube.com/butlerblue2.

Evidently that video prompted our rivals and fellow Horizon League member, University of Wisconsin Green Bay and their mascot Phlash to do a costume hunt (video below). Unfortunately, their exhaustive search produced no results and thus, it has been determined that the Butler Bulldog costumes are not in Green Bay, Wisc. Thanks for looking anyway, Phlash!

The story continued to generate attention in the media/news again today. It even got some national coverage! Keith Olbermann (pictured) of MSNBC picked up the piece and ran it in his “Oddball” segment on his Countdown show. You can view that here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#26649166

Locally, it received a follow-up story in The Indianapolis Star. In fact, it was front and center with a color picture in the Metro/State section. Here’s a screen shot of that in case you missed it:

It’s worth a quick read and it brings up some quick points of note/clarification.

First, the Butler Bulldog mascot costume is NOT named “Butler Blue,” or “Blue.” People (students, university officials, media) have used that name quite a bit in the last couple of days and I think that’s what’s generated most of the frantic calls to my parents from friends and family that think I’ve come up missing.

The name “Butler Blue” first came about in 2000 when Frank and Jeane King of Kong King Kennel, Lizton, Ind., donated Butler Blue I to the university. “Butler Blue” was the name that received the most votes in a “name the new live mascot” contest and thus the reason why I’m known as “Butler Blue II” today.

So I just wanted to take the opportunity to clear that up.

Also, at the end of that Indy Star story, it reads, “The new costumes could arrive as early as Nov. 1, Tuell said. Until then, students will have to rally around the school's other mascot, a real live bulldog known as Butler Blue II who does not dance.”

Well just call me “Blue II the belittled!” I’m so sorry that the university only has this mangy old mutt to serve as mascot for the next several weeks. Sure, I might not be able to dance, but I do have a fine repertoire of tricks and at least I do not smell like B.O.! Last time I checked, many colleges, universities and high schools have a costumed mascot, but only a fortunate few have the privilege of having the real thing to represent their school. The condescending Heather Gillers is on my list!

Oh well, as long as it continues to make the news, well then I’ll continue to shamelessly stump for the cause online, on-air and wherever I can. We just couldn’t buy this kind of coverage otherwise! I can’t say exactly why media/news outlets keep covering the story. I’m sure there are lots of reasons, but if it distracts us for just a moment from political campaigns, hurricanes, oil prices and foreign fighting, then I suppose it serves a purpose.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I attended another home volleyball match last night in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. After all, I am the only mascot we have at the moment so I’ve got to make the rounds. My good friend Mike Freeman took me out on the court for starting lineups in our matching against the Sycamores of Indiana State University. I had a great time and I even came home with a mini-volleyball (pictured) signed by all of the Lady Bulldog players!

Good times! I am definitely ready for my first home football game on Saturday!

Be sure to check back to the blog often for more info, updates and news regarding the search for the missing mascot costumes. In addition, text “follow butlerblue2” to 40404 (Twitter.com) for daily updates from yours truly.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

If you live in or around the central Indiana area, then chances are by now you've heard the APB put out for the mising Butler University Bulldog mascot costumes. In addition to the University's own announcement, the local media outlets have latched on to the story as well and ever since, my parent's phones have been ringing off the hook with calls and texts asking if I've gone missing. Below is a look at some of the media coverage...

Word on the street is Dave Smiley from the Smiley Morning Show, WZPL 99.5 is going to have my dad on air this Wednesday morning, Sept. 10, to discuss the matter and to clear up any misconceptions that I have gone missing.

Obviously, since I'm dictating this blog to my dad right now, I haven't gone missing, but the suits worn by my two-legged counterparts have seemingly walked off campus. So, the search is on for the specially designed suits.

I lent my support in an effort to quickly recover the costumes. In addition to offering my voice for the University announcement, I also threw in a bone as a part of the whopping $100 reward.

Seriously, $100 is all they could come up with? What is this, Bozo's Grand Prize Game? "You get a crisp $100 bill, a year's supply of Archway Cookies and a brand new 10-speed Schwinn bicycle." Seriously? I'm a dog and I realize that $100 and a bone leaves a little something to be desired.

Perhaps we really don't want them back? After all, they were getting a little rough around the edges and the smell that permeated the air around them wasn't exactly that of roses. Still, they are unique and a part of Butler's history so it would be nice to have them back.

The costumes are approx. nine years old, so they've lived a full life. My dad was one of the first to wear them as he was one of the men behind the mask when the university got them his sophomore year. Prior to that, my dad tells me they had a very old and crusty mascot costume that was actually designed by Disney.

Well, it looks like I'm going to be extra busy for a while since I'm the only mascot that Butler has at the moment. A new costume will take about 6-8 weeks to make and will cost well north of $10,000. Hopefully the university will act now so we can have the new costume by Homecoming on Oct. 25th.

Speaking of being extra busy, with all of the students back to campus and the classes in full swing, my social calendar has definitely picked up. Besides all of the additional love, attention and cat calls that I get when I go outside to take a walk or relieve myself, I have also been attending several receptions, social gatherings and athletic events. Last week I attended the first home volleyball game in a very hot and steamy Hinkle Fieldhouse and this weekend I will be hitting up the first home football game of the season as well.

In addition, to the game itself, Saturday will be a busy day for me. In the morning I'll be at Hinkle Fieldhouse to help kick off the Dick Lugar Run and to do a live TV appearance with WISH-TV. After that I'll hit up the annual Ovid Butler Society Gridiron Brunch which is a pre-game tailgate for OBS members. Then, once all of that is done, I'll run the undefeated Butler Bulldogs out to battle in the Butler Bowl to take on Franklin. By Saturday afternoon I'll be so exhausted that I will voluntarily be practicing my "dead dog" trick on the living room floor.

This past weekend my parents went off to Illinois for the final IndyCar Series race of the season, so of course I went to Wabash, Ind. to stay with my Grandma and Grandpa Kaltenmark. Staying at the grandparents is always fun b/c in addition to the extra attention, I also get to sleep in, go on walks and typically get plenty of ice cream. While I was there this time, my grandpa, the old college football player and long-time high school coach taught me some football fundamentals in preparation for Saturday and the rest of the season.

Granpa K. set up my teddy bear so that he was holding my football. Then he would set me up and taught me how to tackle through teddy to knock the ball loose. After that, he showed me how to pounce on the football to regain possession. I loved every second of it and I happen to think that I'm pretty good at it...like Bob Sanders (pictured below) good. My dad said that he'd try to get some video of it in the near future so you can see it for yourselves.

While my pops works to get my football prowess captured on film, this week we just have more video of me playing with my best friend, Kirby! That's right, Kirby has returned! You may remember that Kirby and his mom, Jessica Butler, had moved to Minnesota after Jessica graduated from Butler. Well, Kirby's mom has since joined the Indiana Pacers' staff and thus, Kirby has returned to Naptown!

As soon as he got in town, he stopped by campus to see me. Although, I think Kirby was more interested in checking out campus than playing with me, as you'll see in the video, but it's all good. I was just happy to have my friend back.

In Bulldog Beauty Contest news, we have 13 Bulldogs, one Boston Terrier and one Shih Tzu signed up so far for a total of 15 dogs. Last year we had over 60 dogs attend so we are well on our way. Susan Smith of City Dogs Grocery has been working with us and Eagle Pack Pet Foods to get some great participant prizes and giveaways all lined up as well. It shaping up to be a great event. Additional details are available in my previous blog post below. To sign up your dog, just email me at blue2@butler.edu.

Well, I think that's about all that I know for today. If there are any breaking developments in the case of the missing mascots, I'll be sure to post a new blog with additional details. Until then, keep your ear to the ground and if you stumble upon them, then notify the authorities!